Listen:  91 Question 2

As most of us know, Adam and Eve were the parents of Cain and Abel.  When Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to the Lord, Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by the Lord while Cain’s was not.  Cain was very upset over this refusal of his sacrifice.  Let’s start by reading Genesis 4:3-7, “And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.”  Cain refused to listen to the Lord and killed his brother.  His punishment was immediate and severe.  We read in Genesis 4:11-17, “And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.  Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.”  This is the last time that any of Cain’s activities are mentioned in the Old Testament.  It is indeed sad to realize that the first man to be born was also the first murderer.  In a jealous rage, he killed his brother, whose sacrifice was pleasing to the Lord.  Although the Lord did not take Cain’s life for this murder, Cain did feel that the punishment given to him was more than he was able to endure.  We read of a descendent of Cain’s also committing murder in Genesis 4:23-24, “And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.   If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.”  It seems here that the murderous ways of Cain were passed along to his children’s children.

Cain’s act of worship is a type of mere human religion.  He supposed to approach God on his own terms.  When his sacrifice was not accepted, rather than listen to the Lord, he rebelled and killed the one who properly sacrificed to the Lord.  His sacrifice and his actions reveal a man who had no heart for the Lord.  In the New Testament, he is mentioned as examples of wickedness, murder, and self-will.

Let’s read 1 John 3:10-12, “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.  Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”  Here, we learn that Cain was ‘of that wicked one’.  He did not live righteously and he did not love his brother.  His works were evil.  Through jealousy and hatred of his brother’s godliness, Cain became a murderer.  Speaking of some who had rejected the Lord, we read in Jude, verse 11, “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.”  What is the way of Cain?  It is the way of disobedience and rebellion.  The testimony of Cain is one of rejection, hatred, murder, disobedience and rebellion.  All the scripture evidence points to the reality that Cain perished in his sin.  There is no evidence that he ever repented; rather, the New Testament comments about Cain are of his evil ways.  (91.2)